Lee Chong Cheng, a member of the Legislative Council of the Macao Special Administrative Region, revealed three incidents have shocked him since the return of Macao's sovereignty to China in 1999. Lee explained the events in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn.

Lee said: "The most shocking one is the return of Macao. In the past I was always unhappy while filling up the nationality blank on forms every time I went to Hong Kong. After the return of Macao, I can proudly tell the world that I'm a Chinese citizen. Some people suggested I should still write "Portuguese" but I refused. I told them I wouldn't go if I couldn't say I was Chinese because both Hong Kong and Macao were parts of China."

"The second happened shortly after 2003 when SARS was prevalent. People didn't dare to travel and Macao's economy deteriorated rapidly, which I had not seen for years. But the central government of China offered strong support to us. The opening of lottery industry dragged the economy out of recession. Some people's life and their families recovered soon."

The third shock came from a press conference held by Chief Executive of Macao three years ago. At the press conference, the government announced that Secretary for Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau Ao Man Long was dismissed for corruption.

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